Second Lady Usha Vance has given a tongue-in-cheek response to a New York Times article that commented on her low-cost maternity dress, linking it to politics.
“Now that we know the political significance of my $8.75 coral maternity dress from Old Navy, can’t wait to hear what the New York Times has to say about my elastic-waistband pants and compression socks!” she wrote on X.
“In the meantime, enjoy my pregnancy fashion (or lack thereof) and a good story with your kids on Storytime with the Second Lady,” she added.
Vance also shared screenshots of her receipt for her maternity dress online. The receipt shows that the Old Navy coral maternity dress was originally priced at $12.49, but after discounts and promotions, the final price came down to $8.75.
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Vance, who is pregnant with her fourth child, was featured in a New York Times fashion article titled “The Politics and Power of the Pregnancy Image.” This article discussed how pregnancy and fashion choices of women in President Donald Trump’s political circle, including the second lady, are being closely watched.
The article’s author, fashion critic Vanessa Friedman, wrote, “She is wearing a stretchy coral dress that hugs her stomach, making what she is talking about very clear.” It also mentioned other public figures like White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Katie Miller, noting that all of them recently gave birth or are currently expecting.
“That three such prominent women in the MAGA movement were pregnant at pretty much the same time was, indubitably, a coincidence,” Friedman wrote. “But for an administration that has such an intuitive and strategic understanding of the power of aesthetics that an unspoken dress code in which men outfit themselves in the image of the president has developed, it has also become a telling one,” she added.
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Usha Vance and her husband Vice President JD Vance announced earlier this year that they are expecting their fourth child. Usha Vance is the first spouse of a sitting vice president known to be pregnant while in office in 150 years. Historical records show that the last vice presidential spouse to give birth while her husband served was Ellen Colfax in 1870.
Back in March, Usha Vance launched “Storytime with the Second Lady,” a video series designed to promote early childhood literacy. This initiative involves the second lady reading classic and contemporary children’s books, aimed at connecting with American families through the shared experience of storytelling.